June 19 - June 30 and the aftermath

Because of the flood, I lost my wedding cake top layer 2 weeks before we were to celebrate our first anniversary. As a placeholder, my dear lovely husband and I celebrated our anniversary with a piece of pie and some of the hand decorated butterflies (made by Lindsey Searle, pastry chef extraordinaire)  that survived the freezer thaw.We couldn't eat the butterflies, but we had a very nice moment on July 7th. We did our favorite activities, hugged our little girl, and had a moment to appreciate all we have.

As I mentioned in my previous flood post, many members of my family were evacuated and suffered major property damage. Our city and surrounding areas were drastically affected by a flood. 3 people perished, many hundreds of animals were lost or relocated. Our province committed a Billion Dollars to the Red Cross, the Stampede raised $2.1 Million from the sale of the T - Shirts, and many believe that we are hundreds of millions away from rebuilding. Thousands of people are still homeless for months, many will have their homes deemed uninhabitable. Building permits have changed, and there will be limits on who can build where.

Our zoo was badly affected. Three species of animals and fish were killed, the hippos tried to escape, and there was talk of putting lions/tigers in jail to keep them safe(which everyone got a laugh at, imagine being in the cell next to them). One animal pavilion will never reopen because the damage will cost too much to repair. The area is rebuilding and we have high hopes. We would like to thank all the volunteers who worked so hard in our neighborhoods to get people back into their homes safely.  If you would like to help donate online to the Canadian Red Cross Here

I haven't been coping well and many subsequent time/financial issues have arisen. Our first family vacation in three years may be in jeopardy. We had to outlay thousands in unexpected costs. Although there has been a tremendous amount of friends that have chipped in for us, and we are grateful to them, by no means are our heads above the proverbial water yet. The good news is we are all healthy and safe. 

I have been trying to get back into my stitching. The irony was when I was inspired and motivated and had time to stitch, I was without it. As soon as I got some of it, the stress had set in and I just couldn't concentrate. The same Turtle Trot Projects that I have been running with since January are still my focus, and I am hoping today I can find my rhythm. I was working on William Morris Roses and Paris Market last night and I am going to switch back and forth between them until I can't stand them anymore and move on to my remainders. I did do a bit of the Panda Pals over the course of the evacuation, but I just need to do what I can to stay sane. 

Please check out My Flickr feed "Original Works & Finishes" on the right=> for completions if you want to look at what I have done in the past.